Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-01-27

broken Pieces OF THE SHIP
DR.. TALMAGE'S DISCOURSE LAST
SUNDAY MORNING.
The Gospel Ship the Finest OF
the Universe.
You Could No More Wreck It
Than You Could
Wreck the Throne of God Almighty But
Vast Multitude Do Not Take
Regular Passage.
Special to III, Kansas City Times.

Special to III; Kansas City Times.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 1G.--For many years the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, the largest Protestant
church in America, has been thronged twice
on the Sabbath every available inch occupied,
even the aisles, pu pit stairs and doorways,
and mutitudes going away unable to get In.
DR.. Talmagc recently announced to his CON
grcgation that if the present building could
be sold for an Academy OF Music, another
church, one holding ten thousand people,
would be erected. This morning, after ex-
pounding the Scriptures, he gave out the
hymn:
SINNERS turn, why will We die?
God, your Maker, asks you whyf'
The subject of the sermon was Broken
Pieces OF the Ship" and the text, Acts xvii,
A. ''Some on broken pieces of the ship"
Dr. Talmage spoke as follows:
n, yer off Goodwin Sands, or the Skerries or
Cape Hattcras was ship in worse predica
ment than in the Mediterranean hurricane
was the grain ship, on which two hundred and
seventy-siX passengers were driven on tn.
coast of Malta, five miles from the metropolis
of that island, called Citta Vccchia. After a
two weeks tempest and the ship was entirely
disabled and captain and crew had become
completely demoralizel, an old missionary
took command of the vessel He was small,
crooked-backed and sore-cyed, according 10
tradition. 1t was Paul the only unscared man
aboard. He was no more afraid of EurOcly-
don tossing the Mediterranean Sea, now up TO
the gates of heaven and now sinking it to the
gates Of hell, than he was afraid of q kitten
playing with string. He ordered them al
down to take their ratiOnS, first asking for
them a blessing. Then lie insured all their
lives, telling them they would be rescued and,
SO far from losing their heads, they would not
lose so much of their hair as you could cut off
with one click of the SC ssors; aye, not
thread of It, whether it we're gray with age or
golden with youth. "There shall not hair
fall from the head Of any Of YOU"
Knowing that they can never get to the de.
sired port, they make the sea on the four
teenth night black W tn overthrow cargo So
that when the ship strikes it vii not strike so
heavily. At daybreak thev saw a creek, and
In their exigency resolved to make for it. Aud
so the, cut the cables took in the two paddles
that they had on these boats, and hostcd the
main sail so that they m gilt come with such
force as to be driven high up on the beach by
some fortunate b How There she goes, tumb
ling toward the rocks, now PROV foremost
now stern foremost now rolling over IN star
board, now a wave dashes clear over the deck
and it seems as if the old craft has gone for
ever. But uD she comes again. Faul's arms
around a mast, he cries. "All is we'll God
has given me all those that sail with me-"
Crash went the PROV with such force that it
broke off the mast Crash! went the timbers
till the seas rushed through from side to side
of the vessel She parts am dships, and into
a thousand pieces the vessel goes and into
the waves two hundred and sevcuty-slx ~
mortals are prrciuitated. Some of them had
been brought up on the srashOre aud had
learned how to sw m and with their chin Just
above the waves and by stroke of both arms
and propulsion of both feet, they put out for
the beach and reached it. But alas for the
others They have never learned to swim, or
they were wounded by the falling of the mast.
or the nervous shock was too great for them.
And others had been weakened by long sea
sickness.
Oh, what will become Of theml Take that
piece of Iudder," says Paul to one. Take
that fragment of spar" sa's Paul to anOth-
er. Take that table" Take that image OF
Castor and Pol uXn Take that plank from
the lfeboat. Take anything and head for
the beach" What struggle for life in the
breakersl Tie the merciless waters, how they
sweep over the heads of men, women and chill
dren! Hold on therel Almost ashore keep
up your courage! Remember what Paul told
YOU There, the receding wave on the beach
leaves in the sand a whole family. There
crawls up out Of the surf the centurion. There
another plank comes in with life elm ing
fast to it, There another piece of the shatter
cd vessel with its ireghtage Of an immortal
soul. They must b. this time all be saved
Yes; there comes in last Of all, for he had been
overseeing the rest, the old m ssionary, who
wrings the water from his gray beard and
cries out: THANK God, all are here!'
Gather them around a fire and call the roll.
Paul builds fire, and Wien he bundles Of
sticks begin TO crackle and, Standing and sit
ting around the blaze, the passengers begin to
recover from their chill and their wet clothes
begin to dry, and warmth begin to come into
all the shivering passengers, let the purser OF
the vessel go rUunl and see if any Of the poor
creatures are missing Not one of the crowd
that were plu grd into the sea. How it re-
livyes our anxiety as We read: Some on bro
ken pieces of tue ship, and so it came to pass
they al escaped safe to lanl.n
Having on previous occasions looked at the
other passengers, | confine myself to dav 10 an
examination OF those who came in on broken
pieces of the ship. There is something about
them that eXciteS in me an intense interest.
l am not so much interested in those that
could swim. They got ashore as | expected.
mile OF water is no. a very great un iertak
ing for strOuc swimmer, or even two miles
are not But | can not stop thinking about
those on broken pieces Of the ship The great
Gospel ship is the finest vessel Of the universe
and can carry more passengers than anv craft
ever constructed and you could no more
wreck it than GU could wreck the throne Of
God Almighty. l wish all the people would
come aboard Of her ] cou not promise a
smooth voyage. for Outlines 1t VIII be mp.s
tuOus or Il chopped sea, but / could promise
safp arrival for all who took passage on that
cal lEl ~ ms Re
commander came out Of the East, the star of
the East a badge OF S authority.
But a vast multitude do not take regular
passage Their heolngy is broken in p cces
and their life is broken IN pieces, aud their
habits are broken in pieces, aud their worldly
and spiritual prOsp cts are broken IL pieces,
and yet be ieve they are 90 ug toreaCh the
shining shore, and ! am encouraged by the ex
pcrience OF those people who are spoken in
the text: Some ON broken eces OF the
ship"
One object in this sermon is TO encourage all
those who cannot tax the whole system If
religion as we believe it, but who really believe
something, to come ashore on this one plank.
do not underrate the value of great theo-
logical asylum, hut where IN ali the b BILE Is
there nytling that saws: b lieve in john Cal
win nd thou shalt be saved: or believe in Ar.
minus AMI thou shalt be saved; or believe in
the s nod OF bort and thou shalt be saved; or
believe in the Thrt -nne Ar cles and thou
go to Hell, or heterodox aud go to Heaven.
The man who in the deep affection OF
his heart accepts Chr st Is saved and the man
who does not accept Him is lost.
believe in both the Heidelberg and West
minister catech!sms, and | wish YOU all did,
but you may believe in nothing they contain
except the one IDEA that Christ came to save
sinners, and that you are one of them and
yuu are instantly rescued II you can come
In on the grand old ship would rather have
you get aboard, but ii You can fnd only a
piece OF wood as long as the human body, or q
piece as wide as the outspread human arms
and either OF them Is piece of the cross
come In on that piece. Tens Of thousands Of
people are TO dat kept out of the Kingdom OF
God because they cannot believe everything.
am talking with man thoughtful abou
his soul who has lately travelled through New
England aud passed the night at Andover
He SAYS 10 me; 81 connot be ieye that in tn
life the destiny is irrevocably fixed; | thinl
there VIII be another opportunity of repent
ance after death.n j say to him: my brother
what has that TO do with youl Don't vol
realize that the man who waits for anothe
chance after death when he has good chanc
before death is a stark fooli Had not vol
better take the plank that Is thrown to yo
now and head for shore rather han wait for
plank that may by Invisible hands be throw
10 You after you are deadl Do as you please
but as Tor myself, with par Ion for all my sin